


Boiling Blood

by komorykatt



Category: Tales of Crestoria
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gun Violence, Love/Hate, M/M, Sparring, Unresolved Sexual Tension, aegis alver trans, not important to the fic but he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komorykatt/pseuds/komorykatt
Summary: The mysteries of the Great Transgressor's power weighing heavy on his mind, Aegis challenges Vicious to a duel for the truth. But what he instead learns is that those powers are not ones to be trifled with.
Relationships: Vicious/Aegis Alver
Comments: 17
Kudos: 56





	Boiling Blood

It started with a fire set in Aegis’s eyes, and a simple request that scalded his tongue. “Spar with me, Vicious.”

The day waned as the warm hues of sunset lit their backs, but the promise of Kanata and Misella’s campsite wasn’t much further from them now. Nonetheless, the urge that nagged at his thoughts wouldn’t allow Aegis to take another step towards it.

Striking purple eyes turned from the path ahead and locked onto him, the intensity that dwelt in their depths driving a needle through the former knight’s heart. “Haaah? Where’d that come from all of a sudden?” For someone who was always so eager to pick a fight, Vicious sounded as though he was exasperated by the demand. Whether or not his tone was more of his theatrics to get under his skin, however, was beyond Aegis. “You train all the time already, why the hell d’ya gotta drag _me_ into it?”

Aegis tapped the tip of his boot once, twice more against the dirt road beneath his feet, his arms pulled taut over his chest. He had been pondering the idea for some time since his journey as a transgressor began, and at last concluded that he couldn’t keep it to himself anymore. “I want to see the true strength of the Great Transgressor.” He said dryly. He took no pleasure in the request, utterly repulsed by the idea of spending a second longer than he had to with the loathsome man, but it had to be done. The moments he had alone with Vicious were few and far between, and he couldn’t waste the opportunity hanging within his grasp. “I need to understand just what I’m dealing with if I’m to continue cooperating with you.”

Aegis held Vicious’s gaze, firm in his resolve. The man seemed to think on it for a moment, until he saw something sinister flash in his eyes, a vile grin curling at his lips. The bastard _liked_ that, didn’t he? His stomach twisted in a knot, a swell of anger threatening to breach the surface.

Vicious turned fully towards him, that insufferable sneer of his slashed across his face from ear to ear. “Hmph. Fine, I’ll bite. We can keep the runts waitin’ a lil while longer to have some fun.” He flicked his wrists and raw mana cracked at his fingertips. Bolts of stark red lightning danced down the length of his arms and swirled together in an ugly mass at his palms. Twin pistols sparked to life in his hands, glowing with their eerie crimson light. The ruse of exasperation all but forgotten, he was eager to fight as always, even after a long day of hunting. He twirled one gun carelessly around his finger, then raised it to aim squarely at Aegis’s head. Aegis didn’t flinch. “Just don’t come cryin’ ta me if I wind up shootin’ a hole through yer face.”

He knew that it was no more than an empty threat so he let it roll off his shoulders, unfazed. Instead of satisfying Vicious with a reaction, he merely stretched his hand out at his side, palm turned upward, and called upon that same sinful mana that lived inside of him. “Don’t expect me to hold back, either.”

The Stain of Guilt that was branded onto his breast burned with power at his whim. The energy rushed through his veins and gathered in his right hand, and in a flash of red Wavering Heart manifested to answer his call. His fingers curled around the polearm, his grip tight and knuckles white, and he slid easily into the battle stance he had poured countless hours of training into. 

The middle of a trading route through the plains wasn’t exactly the ideal battlefield, but it would have to do. If Vicious was that anxious to get started with their brawl, Aegis had no intention of making him wait. 

“Now that’s what I like to hear!” Vicious exclaimed, a hearty laugh carrying his voice through the open air. The first shot was fired off without warning, and a bullet imbued with blackened power whizzed past Aegis’s ear. It was a tease of an attack, a petty attempt to get a rise out of him.

Vicious liked to play with his opponents, but Aegis wouldn’t allow him to get another shot in. He sprang forward, pounding footfalls racing to close the distance between them, and he leapt high into the air. He swung his spear overhead in one fluid crescent, then came crashing to the ground in a streak of scarlet light.

The attack missed its mark by a hair in a blur of motion, and the head of his spear dug into the empty ground. Vicious dodged the strike in the nick of time without a scratch, but the shock wave that followed the impact would show him no mercy. The blood sin’s energy bit into his bare flesh in a searing jolt of power, spurring the Great Transgressor into another fit of laughter.

“Nice swing! Ya sure got a grudge against that dirt, huh?” His mockery made Aegis’s hair stand on end, stoking the anger that thrashed within the confines of his chest. He bit back the grunt caught in his throat and tugged at his spear, struggling to release the blade lodged in the ground. It was an unfortunate sight, and not one Vicious was about to let pass him by. His fingers curled around the triggers and he squeezed, and a rapid fire of bullets rained from his pistols. 

Aegis grit his teeth, sweat beaded upon his brow, and pulled with all his might. His weapon came loose in a spray of dust and he swung it out to catch the attack before it landed. The screech of steel rang true in his ears as the bullets collided with the blade. They bounced off of it and fell harmlessly to the ground, then dissolved into a burst of black mist. It smelt strongly of gunpowder and something rancid, like a rotting corpse melting under the unforgiving sun, and it stung inside Aegis’s nostrils.

What was this power, the atrocious crimson power of the blood sins they all wielded? Why was Vicious the only one able to harness it _—_ what was it that gave him the strength to reach into the very depths of a person’s foul soul and give their sins form? What did it _really_ mean to be the Great Transgressor?

Those were the questions that haunted his every step, the truth Aegis was desperate to see for himself. If Vicious was going to keep those secrets to himself, then he had no choice but to beat the answers out of him.

A cacophony of gunshots broke him free of his thoughts, and he deflected another spray of bullets headed his way.

“It’s no fun if all ya do is bat around some bullets! C’mon now, come an’ get a piece of me!” Vicious called out across their makeshift battlefield, and Aegis’s gaze hardened on him. He flicked his pistol to wave him on, an awfully haughty taunt from someone who couldn’t land a hit on him, either.

“You asked for it!” Aegis yelled back, and his boots tore into dirt. He may not have understood the power that dwelt inside of him, but he was fully prepared to use it against the man who gave it to him. He called upon it, and the flame of dark mana at his spearhead burned ever stronger, like a dying red star. 

He pulled his arms back, every movement wound high on the momentum, and whirled his weapon in a fiery lash at his opponent.

Vicious smirked. 

As though it was the easiest thing in the world, he swerved his body just out of the spear’s reach. Aegis felt the crackle of power before he saw that one of Vicious’s pistols had disappeared at the snap of his fingers. 

“Gotcha.” His hand shot out and caught the pole of the weapon that had pierced dead air. He wrapped his fingers tight around it and tugged, pulling its wielder against him.

They stood, chest to chest, hearts pounding as one to the wild rhythm strung between them. Aegis heaved heavy breaths, his bangs slick against his forehead with sweat, and his mind raced to catch up to what had just happened. Not that Vicious would give him a chance to.

Aegis felt the sweltering heat of corrupt mana press harsh underneath his chin. Heat like molten iron seared into his skin and his head was raised, ever so delicately lifted by the tip of a pistol to meet with ravenous purple eyes. His breath caught in his throat.

That was the moment his blood boiled.

A fire roared to life inside him, setting his whole body aflame. Everything was hot, _too hot_ , his heart pounding deafeningly in his ears and drowning out all else. A bright red blush painted his face as his mind sluggishly caught up to where he was, and just how close they were.

The source of that fire throbbed maddeningly against his chest, as though the mark carved into his flesh was reacting to the Great Transgressor’s power pressed at his throat. He didn’t dare to move, his body held rigid, caught in a moment that made the rest of the world fall away from him. There was only Vicious, those deep eyes that pierced his own, and the burn of depraved crimson mana.

Like fingers curled around his neck, heated emotions strangled him. Despite himself, Aegis licked the sweat from his lips.

_Just what_ **_was_ ** _Vicious?_

Vicious took that as an invitation, and he bent down even closer to Aegis’s face. He managed to tear his gaze from the man’s eyes just long enough to stare at his lips, mere inches away from his, and he felt his breath hot against his mouth. Vicious spoke, a mocking whisper forming words that grazed against Aegis’s lips.

_“Why so stiff, pretty boy?_ **_Let’s dance._** ”

The smooth voice that sung in his ears was enough to drive him insane, but his words made something click in Aegis. In an instant the spell was broken, and all the maddening heat that consumed him converged into one sweltering blast of fury. He twisted and spun out of Vicious’s grip, the tip of his pistol drawing a line across his chin that dripped pretty little red gems from pearly skin. 

“Don’t you _dare_ call me that, transgressor!!” Aegis lashed out without a second thought, and the blunt of his spearhead hurled into Vicious’s infuriatingly toned abdomen.

_“Hrrk—-!_ ” The blade met its mark and sent Vicious soaring in one swift movement. His agonized groan sliced the still air as his rear skid against the dirt. His hands raced to clutch at his stomach and press against the throbbing pain that spread through it, and he curled into himself. “Guh, the hell was that all ‘bout?! I was just startin’ to have some fun!”

“ _Fun?!_ ” Aegis echoed, his fingers curled into a tight fist. Fury gleamed in his eyes, but the blush still plain on his face made it none too threatening of a sight. “Th-that’s not fun! That’s… that’s… _h-harassment!!_ ” He sputtered, struggling to find the words as his mind stuck so defiantly on the feel of Vicious’s lips brushing against his.

Another groan sounded from the Great Transgressor, and he slowly unfurled himself and sat up. “Whatever…” He mumbled under his breath, then dragged his eyes up to the former knight looming above him. He expected to see a fuming man with a death wish glaring daggers at him, but the flustered face he saw instead made a sickeningly sly grin split his features. “... So, whaddya think? Is my power good enough for you to _use?_ ”

Though their time together had been short, Vicious already knew exactly what to say to push Aegis’s buttons. His eyes widened and his face burned ever hotter, his shoulders pulled so tense that they began to ache. “Urk…! You little _—_ ” He couldn’t finish the sentence when he caught sight of that mischievous twinkle in Vicious’s eyes, and his hand darted to cover his beet red face. He quickly turned his head away, unable to meet his gaze as he felt his heart pounding in his chest again.

The distant footsteps that closed in on them prevented Vicious from making any further attacks against Aegis’s pride. Kanata’s form appeared over the hill upon the horizon, and the shape of Misella at his side followed close behind. 

“Heeeey! Are you guys okay?” Kanata called out to the two once he deemed that he had entered their earshot. He ran as fast as he could, but immediately skid to a halt once he made out the sight of Vicious collapsed flat on his ass, Aegis standing over him with his blood sin in hand. “ _Waaah!_ V-Vicious, what happened?!”

Aegis went stiff, caught red-handed. He dismissed his spear in a swirling dance of black and crimson power, but it was already too late.

“ _Oh_ , Kanata!” The exaggerated tone that came out of Vicious was like nails on a chalkboard. Aegis switched his attention rapidly between him and Kanata. He wanted _—_ no, _needed_ to wipe that cocky grin off of his face. “Our knight friend here decided to vent his frustrations on me as soon as ya left me alone with him.”

“ _What?!_ You’re the one who agreed to spar with me!” Aegis countered, then turned to Kanata. “Kanata, don’t listen to that man!”

Vicious huffed out a snicker through his nostrils, then pinned his stare onto Kanata as well. The boy’s shoulders sank heavy under the weight of the two men’s expectant gazes. “Who do ya believe, me or the one swingin’ that damn spear around?”

“W-Well…” Kanata scratched at his cheek, and his concerned expression turned sheepish. That was a trick question, wasn’t it?

“I’m impressed you got him down, but why didn’t you finish the job while you had the chance?” Misella’s voice spoke up from right behind Aegis and he jumped in his skin at the sound. She paid the knight no mind and lifted her branded hand, and a flame licked at her fingertips. “Do you want me to do it?”

“ _Misella!_ ” Kanata pleaded.

Aegis could only bury his face into his hand once more, defeated. It was unbelievable, _utterly_ _unbelievable_ that these were the people he was to call his comrades from now on. They were no more than a merry band of buffoons, and the sin written plain on his chest made him one of them, too. For a moment, he dearly wished that he had allowed the enforcers to take his life in the Nation of Sin.

In the wake of Aegis’s despair, Kanata had gathered Vicious’s arm over his shoulder to help him to his feet in a valiant effort, much to his displeasure. “Let’s just get back to the campsite, it’s getting late. You guys must be starving.”

“Damn right I am!” He flung Kanata off of his arm the moment he was standing, and the poor child stumbled backwards. “Yer good ol’ pal Vicious scored a whole ton o’ meat while we were out.”

“ _Yes!_ ” That sacred word brought a spark of life to Misella’s eyes that eclipsed the murderous intent that had been there a moment prior, and the flame at her fingers extinguished. Without wasting another second she hooked her arms around Kanata and Vicious both, and began to drag the two with a strength far unnatural for a girl her age. “We’re going back, _right now_.”

“Wait, but Aegis is _—_ ” Kanata shot a withering look at the dumbfounded friend they left behind, but he was powerless to do anything more than speak a weak word of protest.

“Hurry, before I starve to death.”

Aegis watched as the trio stormed off and disappeared over the horizon, speechless. His mind whirled in a dizzied frenzy, dancing between thoughts of the fight, his careless mistake, _Vicious’s lips_ , the antics of his companions; everything that had happened all too quickly for him to believe. Absently he reached up to touch his lips, the twisting butterflies still rampaging in his stomach as though he’d never broken away from Vicious’s grip. 

The battle that was supposed to enlighten him to the Great Transgressor’s power only left Aegis with more questions, ones that burned hotter than ever before.

He heaved a frustrated sigh and followed after his merry band of buffoons.

**Author's Note:**

> what if you were a vagina bone flaunting great transgressor and i was a virtuous former knight so attracted to you that the whole world disappears when u look at me (and we were both boys) :blush emoji: :blush emoji: :blush emoji:
> 
> honestly Ive had that pose of vicious tipping aegis's head up with his gun stuck in my head for like a week now and I wanted to see it drawn but i CANT draw so i just wrote a oneshot for it instead. and then my friend DREW it for me AFTER BETAING MY ONESHOT its a great outcome!! you can view the art to accompany the fic [right here](https://twitter.com/sorunort/status/1287892554378354694?s=20) !!!!
> 
> anyway aegis alver is gay and trans <3<3<3


End file.
